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Vintage Fluevog Exhibit at Firefly

By chris on June 1, 2007

Long-time readers may recall that I have a serious shoe addiction that keeps between 20 and 30 pairs of shoes in active rotation.  I know some of you ladies out there scoff at such measly numbers, but I don’t personally know another guy with that many shoes.  Plus, I have a thing for funky shoes that are quite a ways outside the standard one pair of brown casual shoes, one pair of black dress shoes, one pair of brown dress shoes, and several pairs of athletic shoes in varying states of wear.

This is exactly why Fluevog is my absolute favorite brand of shoe which in turn explains why Firefly is my absolute favorite shoe store ever…  Well, that and its awesome owner, Ashley, who I’ll say again is one of the best local proprietors I know.

A couple of weeks ago, Ashley put out a call to local Fluevog owners to seek out “vintage” Fluevogs to display at a month-long exhibit in the store.  I, of course, couldn’t resist contacting her about it.  But, rather than displaying my oldest pair, we agreed it might be funnier if we displayed all of them…  all 11 pairs of Fluevogs I own, all of which remain in active duty.

So, I loaded up a large suitcase this morning and dropped them by the store.  I kinda felt like a parent leaving his children at school for the first time… is that weird?  


Anyway, if you want to check out my collection and laugh at my expense (don’t worry, I laugh too), or if you would like to see some really, really cool vintage Fluevogs on loan from cool people around the Triangle, be sure to stop by the store between today and the 30th.  The opening reception is tonight from 6pm-10pm and all new Fluevogs will be discounted 20% to celebrate the occasion!  (Wonder if I’ll buy any… hrmmmm…) If you can’t make it tonight, the sale will continue all weekend.

Perhaps I’ll see you there?  I’ll be the guy not wearing Fluevogs. 

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Posted in , | 2 Responses

  • rhonda

    Chris! You stole one of my Top Ten before I could get around to finishing my list! ;-)
    You are absolutely correct about everything you say. Firefly is the most awesome store in Raleigh, even if you aren’t particularly addicted to shoes, even without the Fluevog show–but these shoes are wonderful, and NO ONE should miss this–Firefly is one of those places that is special and unique to Raleigh. In fact, Firefly is the ONLY retail shop on my Top Ten List, and when I post the rest of my list,I’ll say more about why & try to keep it short, because Chris just said it all.
    But first–I saw the Fluevogs last night, and people, you have got to go!! I didn’t even know what a Fluevog was (maybe I shouldn’t admit to that?) but I knew whatever Firefly does is totally great so I had to see this. And it was even more than I expected. This is not just an exhibit of shoes, although each pair looks charming and unique and are grouped in wonderful ways under great lighting. Each pair has a typed note identifying the owner and tells a very brief story involving the owner & their Fluevogs. These tiny stories transform this shoe exhibit into art. Some stories are funny, some are sad, some are just . . . there–like the huge display accompanied by a sign saying simply “One Man’s Obsession With Shoes–Chris Anderson”. Yes the same Chris as above. It’s great–doesn’t need a story–just looking at all those shoes on one wall, each pair a small work of art (what is it with these Fluevogs–they are so special, each one beautifully different from one another)and then realizing they all belong to one GUY–not a lady,well, it’s an experience.
    There’s a sturdy athletic-looking pair (also very cool-looking)with, curiously, wide silver duct tape wrapped around the toe half of the left shoe. The note tells us about the 11 year old who just got them last year (these shoes are only a year old!) and she skateboards and plays soccer in them–aha, that explains the very worn look and the tape. Another tells a story in just one or two sentences about a pair of Fluevogs major role in the break-up of a relationship. Some come from way back, and have a little history of a certain time.
    I won’t tell any more of the stories–I’ll just say, Raleigh, if you do not go to Firefly and see this show, you are missing one of the most creative and original things happening in Raleigh right now (besides Shawn the “emerging artist” at Artspace who I discovered last night–two finds in one night! more on him later)
    And more on Firefly, the store, not the exhibit when I post my remaining 8 Top Ten. Right now it is time for Shoe Therapy. Go.

  • rhonda

    Chris! You stole one of my Top Ten before I could get around to finishing my list! ;-)
    You are absolutely correct about everything you say. Firefly is the most awesome store in Raleigh, even if you aren’t particularly addicted to shoes, even without the Fluevog show–but these shoes are wonderful, and NO ONE should miss this–Firefly is one of those places that is special and unique to Raleigh. In fact, Firefly is the ONLY retail shop on my Top Ten List, and when I post the rest of my list,I’ll say more about why & try to keep it short, because Chris just said it all.
    But first–I saw the Fluevogs last night, and people, you have got to go!! I didn’t even know what a Fluevog was (maybe I shouldn’t admit to that?) but I knew whatever Firefly does is totally great so I had to see this. And it was even more than I expected. This is not just an exhibit of shoes, although each pair looks charming and unique and are grouped in wonderful ways under great lighting. Each pair has a typed note identifying the owner and tells a very brief story involving the owner & their Fluevogs. These tiny stories transform this shoe exhibit into art. Some stories are funny, some are sad, some are just . . . there–like the huge display accompanied by a sign saying simply “One Man’s Obsession With Shoes–Chris Anderson”. Yes the same Chris as above. It’s great–doesn’t need a story–just looking at all those shoes on one wall, each pair a small work of art (what is it with these Fluevogs–they are so special, each one beautifully different from one another)and then realizing they all belong to one GUY–not a lady,well, it’s an experience.
    There’s a sturdy athletic-looking pair (also very cool-looking)with, curiously, wide silver duct tape wrapped around the toe half of the left shoe. The note tells us about the 11 year old who just got them last year (these shoes are only a year old!) and she skateboards and plays soccer in them–aha, that explains the very worn look and the tape. Another tells a story in just one or two sentences about a pair of Fluevogs major role in the break-up of a relationship. Some come from way back, and have a little history of a certain time.
    I won’t tell any more of the stories–I’ll just say, Raleigh, if you do not go to Firefly and see this show, you are missing one of the most creative and original things happening in Raleigh right now (besides Shawn the “emerging artist” at Artspace who I discovered last night–two finds in one night! more on him later)
    And more on Firefly, the store, not the exhibit when I post my remaining 8 Top Ten. Right now it is time for Shoe Therapy. Go.